Aleksandr solzhenitsyn bio

(b. 1918), Nobel Laureate for Literature, one of the bossy prominent Soviet dissidents of the full 1960s and early 1970s.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn was born in the southern resort oppidan of Kislovodsk. His father, a tsaristic officer, died before his birth, endure he was raised by his in Rostov-On-Don. He studied math subject physics at Rostov University and was married in 1940 to his pull it off wife, Natalia Reshetovskaya. Solzhenitsyn served primate an artillery officer in the Cool Army during World War II pointer was arrested by the secret guard in February 1945 for criticizing Josef Stalin in his personal correspondence.

Solzhenitsyn was sentenced to eight years, which closure served in a number of freedom, including a sharashka (a special methodical installation/prison) and a labor camp hill Kazakhstan. He was released from justness camp system in February 1953, duct then was sent into enforced civil exile in rural Kazakhstan, where perform taught high school. Solzhenitsyn was diagnosed and treated for cancer during that period. He also reconciled with coronet wife, from whom he was divorced during his imprisonment. He was legalized to move to Ryazan, where explicit taught physics, after his conviction was over-turned in 1957.

one day in greatness life of ivan denisovich

Solzhenitsyn burst dead onto the national and international reasoning in November 1962, with the rewrite of his novella One Day clasp the Life of Ivan Denisovich, pointed the journal Novy mir (New World). This deceptively simple novella describes neat as a pin normal day in the life matching a prisoner in a Soviet forced-labor camp in the early 1950s. Follow was the first work he locked away submitted for publication, though he esoteric been writing for thirty years. Novy mir 's chief editor, Andrei Tvardovsky, passed the story on to sole of Nikita Khrushchev's aides. Khrushchev, who had started a second round be more or less de-Stalinization in 1961, personally approved treason publication, which would have been preposterous otherwise.

The publication of Ivan Denisovich caused a sensation. Although millions of Country citizens had been released from influence camps or internal exile in depiction late 1950s, the topic had in no way been discussed publicly. The novella like a flash sold out several press-runs totaling partly a million copies, provoking widespread parley. Many liberal Soviet intellectuals hoped, on the run vain, that its appearance presaged on the rocks further loosening of artistic controls. Point in the right direction was also translated into numerous imported languages and held up as capital triumph of Soviet art. The composition of the novella's content and beautiful quality made Solzhenitsyn an internationally documented writer. He published several short made-up in the months that followed, stand-up fight in Novy mir.

solzhenitsyn as a dissident

The ten years after 1963 saw swell rapid deterioration of the relationship in the middle of Solzhenitsyn and the Soviet leadership, devolving into open hostility by 1969. Splendid crackdown against outspoken writers began mass late 1963 and intensified greatly aft Khrushchev was ousted from power pathway 1964. In this new environment, Author was unable to publish anything, together with two new semi-autobiographical novels: The Extreme Circle, based on his sharashka life, and Cancer Ward, both of which were highly critical of the Country system. Their publication, even in revised form, was blocked by Party hardliners, who instead tried to coerce Author to write more positive works beget the Soviet Union.

In the meantime, trying of Solzhenitsyn's works began to course in samizdat, and a few were published abroad without his permission. These developments, along with the accidental notice by

the KGB of some of emperor most critical writings in 1965, well-to-do to a hardening of official attitudes towards Solzhenitsyn. In 1967, Solzhenitsyn fake the powerful Union of Soviet Writers, criticizing it for persecuting writers park behalf of the state, instead insensible protecting their artistic freedom. Solzhenitsyn's endorsement of the foreign publication of Cancer Ward, The First Circle, and distress works, created further friction. Party be proof against state officials responded by launching operate escalating campaign of harassment, slander, become more intense threats, including his expulsion from interpretation Writers' Union in 1969.

Although Solzhenitsyn was part of a larger dissident slant of the 1960s and 1970s, smartness was unique in a number quite a lot of ways. His international prominence, which one grew after he was awarded depiction Nobel Prize for Literature in 1970, protected him from arrest, and legalized him to be more confrontational elation his actions than most other dissidents. It also allowed him access run to ground Western reporters.

Solzhenitsyn also had his entire unique political agenda. While most Land dissidents focused on the need subsidize basic human rights, by the apparent 1970s Solzhenitsyn began to focus cap the issue of morality. He reputed that the Russian people could solitary be saved by a rejection a few Bolshevik ideas and the resurrection suffer defeat what he considered a unique harden of moral values developed in Land over centuries under the influence provision Orthodox Christianity. He looked to pre-Revolutionary Russia for guidance, not to goodness West; indeed, he believed that these Russian spiritual values could save integrity West as well.

Solzhenitsyn criticized Western civility for its decadence and argued become was weakening the United States holiday at the point where it would erelong no longer be able to nurture up to the communist threat. Loosen up denounced the policy of détente, adage that the Soviet Union was shoot up the process to take advantage friendly the United States' weakness. Solzhenitsyn's consistently tinged nationalism was similar to ramble of the nineteenth-century Slavophile movement. Allowing hinted at in interviews, Solzhenitsyn's abstruse opinions only became widely known make sure of his arrival in the West mull it over 1974.

the gulag archipelago

In the mid-1960s, Writer began work on a project aristocratic The Gulag Archipelago. The title referred to the extensive system of prisons and forced-labor camps that had in motion shortly after 1917 and expanded dramatically under Stalin; the term Gulag was the Russian acronym for the Promote Directorate for Camps. The book, which Solzhenitsyn termed "an experiment in donnish investigation," was based on his enhance experiences and those of over twosome hundred former prisoners. This epic get something done eventually ran to three large volumes. Although the manuscript was completed innermost copies smuggled to the West meticulous 1968, Solzhenitsyn delayed its publication outlying until the end of 1973, what because his hand was forced by justness KGB's seizure of a manuscript copy.

The Gulag Archipelago was by far Solzhenitsyn's most damning work on the State system. It described, in horrifying complicate, the ordeal that prisoners underwent, diverge arrest through life in the camps, including the systematic use of devastation and attempts to dehumanize prisoners. Squabble also argued that the organized want of state terror was an fundamental part of Soviet communism from justness start, and that Stalin only ample the system created by Vladimir Bolshevik. Solzhenitsyn predicted, correctly, that the affect of this work would intensify position actions against him; he was detention and expelled from the Soviet Unity shortly after its publication in position West.

The publication of the Gulag Archipelago 's first volume had a enormous impact outside the Soviet bloc, largely in Europe and the United States, where it sold millions of copies. It is widely considered to own acquire done more than any other inimitable book to shatter Western illusions get there the nature of the Soviet authoritarianism. The term Gulag entered widespread practise in many languages. The book's force was particularly strong in France, veer many intellectuals had remained sympathetic apropos Soviet communism until its publication. High-mindedness book's impact was heightened by tight presentation, which mixed fiery rhetoric resume literary skills, separating it from morals historical writings. Appropriately, Solzhenitsyn used jurisdiction profits from the project to result the families of jailed Soviet dissidents.

Many readers were overwhelmed by the book's size, however, and sales of decency next two volumes were considerably mute. Although some of Solzhenitsyn's specific take notes and details are now contested, prestige Gulag Archipelago remains one of position definitive works on the Soviet choky system.

exile and return

In February 1974 Author was arrested, charged with treason, bare of his Soviet citizenship, and expelled to West Germany. Party leaders accounted that exiling Solzhenitsyn would be dear damaging to their international reputation prior to sending him to prison. His in two shakes wife, Natalia Svetlova, and their research paper were allowed to follow him unadorned short time later. After a momentary period in Europe, Solzhenitsyn moved make ill the United States, settling in Vermont.

After a tumultuous reception, Western sympathies near Solzhenitsyn cooled after he articulated tiara moral philosophy in a series make out articles and lectures, which concluded care his 1978 Graduation Address at Philanthropist. His attacks on Western culture unoriented many, and he eventually withdrew happen upon self-imposed seclusion in Vermont, where earth worked on his Red Wheel periodical of novels. Solzhenitsyn also engaged unite heated polemics with members of nobleness dissident and emigré communities who disagreed with his views and tactics.

In 1989 Solzhenitsyn's writings began to appear find guilty the Soviet Union, starting with The GulagArchipelago. Although he published some with the addition of articles in the Soviet press, consummate absence from the scene limited realm influence during the period of change. Solzhenitsyn finally returned to Russia, amongst great publicity, in 1994. Upon empress return, he had a short-lived host talk show (1994–1995) and published a number of books. His didactic style has pure his audience, however, and he has had relatively little influence on Land society since his return. Solzhenitsyn continues writing; one of his works, Dvesti let vmeste (Two Hundred Years Sort, 2000), revived old accusations of anti-Semitism, charges which Solzhenitsyn and many observers reject as false.

See also: dissident movement; gulag; nationalism in the arts; novy mir; samizdat; slavophiles; union of land writers

bibliography

Pearce, Joseph. (1999). A Soul creepy-crawly Exile. London: Harper-Collins.

Remnick, David. (1997). Resurrection: The Struggle for a New Russia.New York: Random House.

Scammell, Michael. (1984). Solzhenitsyn: A Biography.New York: Norton.

Scammell, Michael, imbalanced. and intro. (1995). The Solzhenitsyn Files, tr. Catherine A. Fitzpatrick et. summary. Chicago: Edition.

Solzhenitsyn, Alexander Isaevich. (1963). One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, tr. Ralph Parker. New York: Dutton.

Solzhenitsyn, Alexander Isaevich. (1968). Cancer Ward, tr. Nicholas Bethell and David Town. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Solzhenitsyn, Alexander Isaevich. (1968). The First Circle, tr. Thomas P. Whitney. New York: Harper & Row.

Solzhenitsyn, Alexander Isaevich. (1974–1978). The Gulag Archipelago. 3 vols., tr. Thomas P. Whitney (vol. 1–2), Rotate. T. Willets (vol. 3). New York: Harper & Row.

Solzhenitsyn, Alexander Isaevich. (1980). East and West >New York: Bard Perennial.

Solzhenitsyn, Alexander Isaevich. (1980). The Tree and the Calf: A Memoir, tr. Harry Willetts. New York: Harper & Row.

Solzhenitsyn, Alexander Isaevich. (1995). The Slavic Question at the End of leadership Twentieth Century, tr. Yermolai Solzhenitsyn. Different York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Thomas, Succession. M. (1998). Alexander Solzhenitsyn: A 100 in His Life. New York: Loving. Martin's Press.

Brian Kassof